Samsung creates headgear prototype to help monitor concussions in sports

Samsung Australia has created a prototype for a device to be worn during contact sports, in an effort to monitor concussions.

The BrainBand, of which ten prototypes have been created, is the culmination of a Samsung Mixed Talents initiative in which two people from different fields come together to create a working prototype — in this case, to monitor concussions in real time.

To create the BrainBand, industrial designer Braden Wilson and neuroscientist Alan Pearce joined forces to work on a practical solution to concussion in sport. Wilson has a background in wearable technology, while Pearce is experienced in the neurophysiology of sports-related concussion.

The subject of concussion is topical with the release of the film Concussion, which focusses on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) brain damage suffered by players in the NFL in America. CTE can cause a loss of movement skills, memory issues, aggression, anxiety, depression, dementia and in some tragic cases, suicide or death.

The disease can only be diagnosed after death.

The neurodegenerative disease can only be diagnosed after death. So far, according to Pearce, there have been no instances known in Australian sport.

Concussion is still a serious issue in the various codes of football in Australia, with current diagnosis methods still very subjective and not based on hard data. Together, Pearce and Wilson told Mashable Australia they hoped to create a piece of technology that could be worn easily while playing sport and provide real-time data of an incident while tracking injuries in the career of a player.

Israel Folau tests out the protoype.

Image: samsung

The BrainBand is a rubber strap, which holds a tech pack at the back of the skull with LED lights that light up when a player takes a hit, showing yellow, orange or red dependent on the seriousness of the hit. Sensors in the tech pack register and read the movement of the brain in the skull, sending data to an app in a tablet, phone or watch worn by a medic, coach or referee.

"We have put together a techpack that reads acceleration across all axis and focusses on the movement of the brain inside the head," Wilson said. The device is induction charged, much like a smart watch, meaning it can be waterproof if it goes into production.

The duo said the main things they wanted to achieve were making it something players would be proud to wear, while not interfering with their play.

"There were a couple of challenges," Wilson said. "I realised it needed to be seen as a crown, something that would be worn with pride because we really don't want to target players as showing weakness, that is a concern we have with traditional head gear."

The band sends data in real-time to the app on the mobile, tablet or watch.

Image: samsung

Headgear can also make players feel protected when they are not, so they wanted to make sure it wasn't confused for protective gear.

"We also didn't want it to look like a protective device because what we are doing is collecting information, not protecting in the helmet sense," Wilson said. "Headgear can give a false sense of security. The headgear may soften the blow of an impact but it won't stop the brain moving in the skull."

The design was chosen to be the most simple and effective version of the product, yet this may be refined when it moves into production phase. Pearce and Wilson also considered a broad range of design ideas such as mouth guards and helmets.

"It was a process of filtering down the technology into the most efficient form so we didn't have extraneous features or details that were cumbersome," Wilson explained. "We want this to fit into the process of playing football and that is one of the reasons we have have gone for the headband. Football players are already wearing tape around their heads so it doesn't look out of place on the field."

The BrainBand has been designed to not affect play.

Image: Samsung

The device was tested on a test dummy in a car crash, which measured a G force up to 120 Gs. The device stayed on the dummy when hit with this force, meaning it was perfect for a game of football. In an average game, a player can take hits of up to 30 Gs, with occasional hits reaching more than 100 Gs.

"[Hits this big] are not uncommon, so we needed to make sure we have the range there," Pearce explained. "If you do have the unlikely big hit the device is going to stay there, it won't fly off and it doesn't move around."

Israel Folau trains in the BrainBand.

Image: samsung

At the moment, Rugby Union uses a SCAT3 test to decide whether a player is fit to play. This includes asking a number of questions such as what month is it and getting a player to count backwards. Pearce said the issue with these tests is that they are subjective and don't rely on hard data.

"The SCAT3 is a subjective tool, it is a sideline test that a medic uses subjectively to measure these symptoms. It is still a very subjective interpretation," he explained. "This technology takes subjective interpretation out because you have a number recorded from the hit. Until now, they didn't have the hard data to add to that clinical assessment."

The technology is meant to stop CTE before it occurs, by monitoring the hits in real time. "It is more about trying to manage and mitigate concussions in the acute phase because CTE is the result of multiple head injuries that aren't managed properly," Pearce said.

"So if we can get on this early, it is unlikely to have any long-term affects of CTE, for example, in the current or next generation of players because we are measuring the forces now and we are addressing the concussion or head injury in that following week."

Using the data, Pearce hopes coaches and medics will know the player needs to have a rest and recover before they head back out on the field. The apps also have a feature in which the player's history is documented and can move with them from club to club.

Up close with the BrainBand.

Image: Samsung

Australian rugby union player Israel Folau told Mashable Australia a device like this could help footballers like himself. He said although he had been lucky in his career and never suffered from concussion, he had seen players around him be affected.

"When I have seen it happen, the damage comes after."

"When I have seen it happen, the damage comes after. It might be months or years after the actual event, which is really dangerous and you can't get a read on it at that certain time," he said. "If you can raise more awareness around how serious concussion it will make more players consider going back on the field to continue playing."

Folau said technology like the BrainBand can help medical staff make calls that are best for the players. "If the players can get an actual reading right then and there, it is a positive thing," he said. "Medical can make a call and pull the pin on the players and show them real data about why they can't go back on. It is great for the player, if they can get a clear call through data it is black or white."

It is also good for future generations, Folau said. "Anything that can keep kids or players safe is a good thing. This tech that Samsung is creating is a positive thing for families across Australia, that they can feel safe for their kids," he said. "In the years to come, I am sure you will see players trialling this."

The BrainBand could assist all levels of sport.

Image: samsung

Samsung told Mashable Australia it has provided both Pearce and Wilson a grant to continue their work on the BrainBand prototype with the view to put it into production. This means one day we may see players across Australian football codes using a similar piece of tech.

"This collaboration has inspired our two experts to continue their research and development within this space, utilising everything they have learned throughout the Mixed Talents campaign," the spokesperson said. "Samsung has awarded Braden and Dr. Alan a grant to continue the project and are excited to see where they will take this knowledge."

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